I hate being gone because you feel there is 10x more to do when you get back. I hate that feeling of "Oh no! I need to call so and so to have them set stuff out for my sub!" if you weren't prepared to be out. I hate keeping track of what plan this or that class did and making sure not to do the same activity twice. I hate searching for handouts and making copies for sub plans. I hate the "sub tub" because half the time even when I sat it out in my chair the sub never looked at it. I hate, I hate, I HATE!!!

So I made an easy "leave it on the desk" sub plan.

All you need is a folder, page dividers, your plans printed out, and a routine already established.

Before I begin, let me say some of you are not going to want to try this plan. As I stated above, you need a routine already established with your classes. My plan is simple and it is a routine that my Pre-K and Kindergarten classes already do and what my 1st - 4th grade classes do each time they finish a project.

I bought a plastic folder that I hope will last FOREVER and I have it clearly labeled. It sits under my plan book on my desk at all times. When I pack up my plan book at the end of the day the sub book is sitting on my desk ready to go if need be.

My dividers are set up in the following order:

Welcome

Procedures and Rules

Schedule

Pre-K and K

1st - 4th

Comments

Below is a link to my EXACT plans. Feel free to use them and change them up to your liking.

I use crazy hair day - K,1,2 gets a handout with the face pre-printed and 3,4,5 has to draw the face. They divide the upper portion into sections and fill with patterns. If it is a planned day - I try to start a lesson and then day 2 with the sub is easy since they already know what to do - needs to be something with just crayons or markers.

I love to leave things that have alot of room for creativity. A couple of week ago I left lessons including these:Second grade are you sleeping? Draw a picture of yourself sleeping. What helps you sleep? Where do you fall asleep? etc--Pass out circles of all sizes and let K-1 trace and make a picture with only circles.Incredible Art Dept. had a lesson I leave all the time where you roll a dye for each part of the body- 2 heads, 6-eyes, 3- arms etc. The kids love it!I can't wait to see what else people post! It is always a worry when I am gone. I have had the same sub the last three times I was gone. She really knows me and the kids so it is a lot easier!

How about designing the alphabet with a theme... Candy corn, turkeys and so on. I may blog about that soon, I have a sub box that is ready to go when ever I go:) It has many ideas for subs if I can't do a plan.

I have kids make their names using Egyptian Hierogylphics. There should be a website that has the alphabet translated into Hierogylphics. They then draw a tablet shape or use "mosaic-like" paper squares to decorate around the letters. You can buy the paper squares in a large quantity from Dick Blick. This saves time.

I don't recommend "free draw" for a sub. You come back the next day and the recycle box is full of scribbled wasted paper, or airplanes. We are all required to have a sub handbook in the office with "Emergency Plans". I have a selection of easy plan ideas for the sub to pick from, all which can be done with paper and pencil, crayons, colored pencils, or markers. In other words, nothing messy! They are mostly just drawing prompts:

"through the keyhole" - what do you see when you look through a keyhole?"night and day" - a outdoor scene rendered 1/2 night, 1/2 day. (Or the same thing with 4 seasons.)"imagine the perfect pet""design a future vehicle"

Miss Becca, I know you! I love your blog by the way! This is Abbey Rutherford-Logan, fellow MTSU grad! I have difficulty with sub plans too, but I have come up with a few things. I do the Crazy Hair Day, as well as Where the Wild Things Are. The sub reads the story and the kids draw their wild thing. While it works well for the younger folks, I do not usually leave it for 3rd-up. I also have a few projects that I start on and never finish that do not require paint or glue-usually an op art or shading project. While I feel like the kids do not always do the best work with a sub, it is better than nothing.

Hey Abbey! I remember you too! Glad to know that you're doing well. I'm glad you like the blog! I am using the Wild and Wacky hair lesson for a sub tomorrow! Yesterday, I had 2nd graders design a stamp. The ideas the kids came up with were so cool! I can't wait to see the Wild Wacky Hair!

Try the anti-doodle books! They make students creative "solve" the rest of the picture... or the Doodle Book for Boys and the Doodle Book for Girls....Or read Ish, by Peter H Reynolds, and have them create their own ish drawings...

One plan I use for subs is very simple. It's not really *free draw*, it gives students a direction to go in, but it also gives them freedom. I call it, "Give Me 5". I list 5 things and the students have to include the 5 items. However, they can add as many of them as they please and may add other things also. I usually get a bit silly with the items and the kids love that. Ex. house, tree, owl, fence and flying elephant. These have to be in the drawing, but they can add extra details. It's fun and easy for a sub.

I like to choose a few books and have the sub read the book and then kids do a project based on the book. Some of my favorites are Elmer the Elephant and Tar Beach. Sometimes I create a stencil for kids to use in conjuction with the book, like with Elmer. Tar Beach I usually have them draw someplace they would like to visit. It also works well to have them draw their favorite part of the story. I understand the whole preparing for a sub thing. I would rather be a work than get ready for a sub. Right now I am out with a broken leg and it is driving me crazy. Hope these ideas help.-jessica Check out my blog at smartypantsjohnston.blogspot.com

I have the students become Illustrators for a sub plan. I have the sub read a Shel Silverstein poem, such as "The Homework Machine" and then the students have to illustrate the actual machine. The results are always quite interesting and creative! Free draw is a bad idea. The students, without a clear objective for the entire class period, will get off task and then become a problem for the sub.

About Me

Becca Ruth

Welcome to my blog. I teach High School Visual Arts 1, 2, 3, and AP Studio Art in Columbia, TN. My past art teaching experiences have been PreK - 8. I believe we must work and share together to become better teachers. My goal is to help other teachers, grow in their professions.